WBJEE Board cancels its medical entrance examination

Kolkata: With the Supreme Court rejecting plea of the state governments and other institutions to allow them to hold separate entrance exams for MBBS and BDS courses for the 2016-17 academic year, West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination Board today declared its examination for medical students cancelled.

“We tried our best to hold this exam in the interest of thousands of students, but in vain. Ultimately we had no other option, but to declare cancellation of this exam,” Board chairman Sajal Dasgupta told PTI.

Speaking about two other decisions taken by the Board, Dasgupta said “those who are willing to appear in physics and chemistry examinations can be treated for admission to B Pharm courses if they score the eligibility mark.”

“Finally, the Board will refund fees to those who will not appear in this exam at all,” he said.

In a significant order on May 9, the Supreme Court had rejected pleas of state governments and minority institutions to allow them to hold separate entrance exams for MBBS and BDS courses for the academic year 2016-17, saying only NEET provides for conducting such test for admission to these courses.

The apex court had put to rest all confusion by refusing to modify its April 28 order by which it had allowed the Centre and CBSE to conduct a single common entrance test for admission to MBBS and BDS courses through National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET).

The apex court had approved the schedule put before it by the Centre, CBSE and Medical Medical Council of India (MCI) for treating All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) fixed for May 1 as NEET-I. Those who have not applied for AIPMT will be given opportunity to appear in NEET-II on July 24 and the combined result would be declared on August 17 so that the admission process can be completed by September 30.